Member of Parliament’s Trudeau smear inaccurate: Liberals

BELLEVILLE — The area's Catholic school board isn't asking for repayment of Justin Trudeau's public-speaking fee, but may take it if he offers.

Federal Liberal leader Trudeau has offered to repay speaking fees after being criticized by the ruling Conservatives for profiting from charitable groups.

Trudeau in 2010 spoke at an Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board event. It was presented by the board's Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education.

Director of education Jody DiRocco said the board paid him $15,000. Trudeau spoke about “education, youth and the future of Canada,” DiRocco said.

“It was paid by the board through the budget of Loyola.

“We would be open to a discussion of reimbursement but we're not seeking reimbursement from Mr. Trudeau's office,” DiRocco said.

Trudeau has also offered his speaking services — for free — to aid past clients' future fundraising efforts.

DiRocco said the board hasn't received any such offer directly from Trudeau's office.

Trudeau's audience included corrections workers and board staff.

“There was a fee-for-service relationship at that time” between the board and the Correctional Service of Canada, he said. The agency paid the board to provide educational programs and professional development and Trudeau's appearance was part of that programming.

Local MP Daryl Kramp on Tuesday attacked Trudeau's acceptance of board money. He said Trudeau didn't speak “out of the goodness of his heart or for the betterment of my community or other communities” but “for $15,000 of taxpayers' money.”

Kramp railed against Trudeau, adding that such “double-dip- ping is reprehensible” and that the Liberal leader, a former teacher, “puts his own financial interests ahead of education.”

But John Brisbois, the new president of the Prince EdwardHastings Federal Liberal Riding Association, laughed when told of Kramp's words. Brisbois has been a trustee with the Algonquin board for seven years.

He said he had thought Trudeau was paid with federal money. Brisbois, though, deferred to DiRocco's explanation.

Yet Brisbois still dismissed

attack

as

“opportunis- Kramp's tic.”

“This whole issue is Tory-instigated ... These are talking points that their thinkers sent out from Ottawa.”

Brisbois applauded Trudeau's willingness to pay back his fees and to speak for free at future fundraisers organized by past clients.

“Most people when they speak accept speakers' fees,” he said, adding Conservatives “do the same thing.”

Brisbois said Trudeau has spo- ken at two events in the riding: once at Loyalist College, where there was no admission fee but the party collected donations, and the other at the riding association's annual general meeting.